There’s a reason dogs are called man’s best friend. Not only do they have the ability to provide us with unconditional love, they apparently also have a thing or two to teach us humans about parenting. Yes, that's right, you might actually want to take some parenting advice from your favorite furry friend.
Family therapist Dr. Eli Harwood, who is known as “The Attachment Nerd” on Instagram, shared that one of the most valuable lessons she’s learned about parenting didn’t come from her schooling or from a textbook. It didn’t even come from a child. The lesson came from observing her dog’s behavior.
Harwood said her dog taught her a valuable parenting lesson.
Any dog owner can tell you that whenever you return home, if you have a dog, it will be absolutely elated to see you. The feeling is so powerful, it manifests in a physical reaction. The dog is so excited that you’re back that it can’t contain itself. A dog will shake, wag its tail, and breathe heavily. A dog lights up when its owner comes home.
Acting like an excited dog when we see our children can fill them with delight.
Harwood says its this reaction we should exude when we see our children.
“Do that,” she explained. “With your kids. When they are young. When they walk into the room, you light up. And when they see you light up, what happens inside of them is they feel delightful.”
Don't underestimate those feelings of delight. Harwood says that when children feel delight, they also feel worthy and confident.
Harwood says it's important to do this when your children are young because things change as they get older.
“And we don’t get stuck on as many of the parts of ourselves that are imperfect, because we know we belong,” she said. Harwood shared that it’s important to light up like this when you greet your children while they are still young. While you can play puppy with them as young children, by the time they’re teenagers, they’re going to turn into cats, and not be nearly as receptive to your affection.
As many know, cats have an entirely different temperament than dogs, and the love they have for their owners is a lot less obvious. And of course, cats and dogs so famously do not get along.
Harwood notes if you try to "play dog" with a teen, "you will scare them away." So again, do it while they're young. Fill them up with that light while you can.
Toni Morrison offered similar advice in 2000.
Harwood’s video, which has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, echoes a piece of parenting advice from the late acclaimed author Toni Morrison. In a sit down with Oprah Winfrey from May 2000, she asked a room full of women, “When your kid walks into a room — or anybody’s child — does your face light up?” She advised all people to let your face speak what’s in your heart.
While Harwood says the strategy is not as effective as your children get older, her Instagram followers say it’s something that can work throughout life.
“I still do it when they’re teenagers and they secretly still love it,” one IG user shared.
“This is true,” another added. "I’m 30 and my parents literally look at me like I’m the most precious thing in the world."
Showing your kids — not just telling them — how much you adore them, can make all the difference in how they feel about themselves. Just ask your pup.
